Timothy's POV

The pain hits me like a freight train.

One second I'm standing at the altar, saying vows I don't mean to a woman I don't love. Next, my chest feels like someone's ripping it open from the inside.

Kael surges forward in my mind. "Mate! Something's wrong with our mate!"

"She's not our mate," I snap back, but even as I say it, I know he's not talking about Sophia.

He means Penelope.

The ceremony blurs after that. I go through the motions—kiss the bride, accept congratulations, ...